JP5541572B2 - Sheet folding apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet folding apparatus used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a composite apparatus thereof, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet folding apparatus.

  In a sheet folding apparatus often used as a post-processing apparatus in an image forming apparatus or an image forming system, there are various types of folding such as bi-folding, inner tri-folding, outer tri-folding, Z-folding, quadruple folding, and Kannon folding. Yes, depending on the type of fold, the bulging method (loading method) during loading differs. As a result, stacking of sheets collapses, stacks in a gap and cannot be taken out, and handling in the next process becomes inconvenient.

  In particular, the center of gravity of a bundle of sheets folded toward the front end side of the discharged sheet is biased, or when Z-folded sheets are stacked, the size of the Z-folded sheet is small (A4T, LTT Z-fold). ), The stacking state is fan-shaped and accumulated, and the leading edge of the uppermost Z-fold sheet approaches the discharge port, so that the Z-fold portion of the Z-fold sheet that is subsequently discharged is already loaded. There is a problem that the leading edge of the paper is exceeded, resulting in poor loading or page order.

  Therefore, in the sheet post-processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-240753), the discharge roller is controlled to decelerate, and the Z-fold portion of the Z-fold sheet that is discharged is positioned at the leading edge of the stacked paper. I try to prevent it from going over. That is, the linear speed of the paper discharge roller is controlled so that the Z-folded portion of the Z-folded sheet (also referred to as a Z-folded sheet or origami paper in this application) does not overlap.

  Further, in the sheet post-processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-26345), in a sheet post-processing apparatus having a shift tray that sorts discharged sheets and a proof tray that is not sorted, The proof tray end fence can be tilted to adjust the position of the loaded paper, thereby preventing the Z-folded portion of the Z-folded sheet that is discharged from exceeding the leading edge of the loaded paper doing.

  In trays and stackers that can stack large volumes of paper due to poor stacking of Z-folded sheets or page misalignment, the paper discharge roller and tray are placed at a distance from the paper discharge roller to the tray. When the paper is discharged, the paper may buckle due to the weight of the front edge of the paper, the rear edge of the paper may remain on the paper discharge roller, and the next paper may sink under the paper.

  With respect to such a problem, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, that is, the paper discharge speed reduction control, further induces buckling of the front end of the paper. This is because if the sheet discharge speed is controlled to be increased, the sheet can be discharged before the leading edge of the sheet is buckled, but the leading edge of the sheet may be scratched and the stacking property in the conveying direction is also deteriorated.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the positional relationship between the paper discharge roller and the bottom of the tray is close, the weight of the front end of the paper is held on the paper stacked on the tray before the front end of the paper is buckled. However, in trays and stackers that can load large volumes of paper, the paper discharge roller and the tray are placed at a distance from each other. Therefore, there is a possibility that the rear end of the sheet remains on the sheet discharge roller, and the next sheet enters under the sheet.

  Furthermore, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, the wing-like portion extends in the axial direction of the shaft portion in all directions, and a member (paddle) pivotally supported at one end portion is rotatable. The paper can be aligned by rotating approximately 45 degrees in the paper falling direction by synchronizing and using this technique, it is possible to prevent buckling due to the weight of the front edge of the paper, It is not possible to prevent the loaded sheets of the Z-folded sheets that have been stacked from getting over. In addition, since a pair of paddles is required, there is a problem that the cost is increased.

  According to the present invention, when a Z-folded sheet (origami paper) is discharged from the sheet folding device and dropped by its own weight and external force, the buckling edge of the paper is effectively controlled by controlling the falling posture of the origami paper. Can be prevented

  It is another object of the present invention to prevent out-of-order due to Z-fold buckling by controlling the falling posture of discharged Z-fold paper by adjusting the timing for supporting the paper.

The present invention
A sheet folding apparatus for sandwiching a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus between a pair of folding rollers and folding the sheet,
In a sheet folding device that constitutes a stacking unit capable of discharging and stacking folded paper,
A fan that controls a falling posture of the folded paper when the folded paper is discharged to the stack unit after being folded and dropped by its own weight and external force ;
A wind power adjusting mechanism for adjusting the wind power of the fan;
By adjusting the wind force and wind direction angle of the fan for each order of the folded sheets falling to the stack section by the wind force adjusting mechanism, the overlapping position of the folded sheets is changed to change the stack. A sheet folding apparatus, wherein the sheet folding apparatus is stacked on a part .

  Further, the present invention is a sheet folding apparatus comprising an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a blowing direction of the fan.

  Further, the present invention is the sheet folding apparatus, wherein the sheet discharge distance in the transport direction is adjusted by the fan for the folded sheet that is falling onto the stack unit after the sheet is folded.

  According to the present invention, in a sheet folding apparatus that folds a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus by sandwiching the sheet with a pair of folding rollers, the rotary movable member having a surface capable of supporting the folded sheet, The sheet folding apparatus is characterized in that a timing of supporting the folded sheet by rotating motion is adjusted to control a dropping posture of the folded sheet to be discharged.

  Further, the present invention is the sheet folding apparatus characterized in that the rotationally movable member is slidable with respect to the folded sheet conveyance direction and is also movable in a direction perpendicular to the sliding movement direction. .

  Furthermore, the present invention is the sheet folding apparatus, wherein the rotationally movable portion can be retracted from the stack portion when a user takes out the sheets stacked in the stack portion.

  According to the present invention, when the Z-folded sheet is discharged and dropped, the fall posture of the origami paper is controlled by the blower (fan), thereby preventing the out-of-order due to the Z-fold buckling. it can.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the falling posture of the discharged origami paper is controlled by adjusting the timing of supporting the paper by the rotational movement by the rotary movable member having a surface capable of supporting the paper, and Z Out of order due to folding buckling can be prevented.

Layout diagram of sheet folding apparatus to which the present invention can be applied The figure which shows the 3rd folding operation in the apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows stack operation | movement and arrangement | positioning of a fan with the apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the operation | movement of the fan at the time of stack operation | movement with the apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the adjustment method of the wind force of the horizontal direction of the fan The figure which shows the example which adjusts the angle of a wind force and a wind direction for every order of Z fold paper discharged | emitted The figure which shows the principal part of the sheet folding apparatus which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. Figure showing the paddle paddle surface also received in the stack supporting the leading edge of the Z-fold paper FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state where the leading end of the Z-fold paper is not supported and is stacked on the stack unit from the state of FIG. The figure which shows the positional relationship of each part for determining the suitable position of a paddle

  In the present invention, when the origami paper is discharged from the sheet folding apparatus and dropped by its own weight and external force, the folded paper (origami paper) is used to control the falling posture of the origami paper by a fan (fan). When the paper is discharged from the sheet folding device and dropped by its own weight and external force, the blower (fan) controls the falling posture of the origami paper, so that the conventional problem of Z-fold buckling, which is a conventional problem, is prevented. However, an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the wind direction of the fan can be provided so as to be able to cope with the paper size and the discharge line speed, thereby effectively preventing buckling of the front end of the origami paper.

  The present invention also includes a wind force adjusting mechanism that adjusts the wind force of the fan, and can more effectively prevent buckling of the front end of the paper. As a result, the paper size and the discharge line speed can be widely handled, and by combining with the wind direction adjustment function, the wind power can be adjusted to the minimum to save power.

In addition, the present invention prevents the buckling of the front end of the paper more effectively without being hindered by the origami paper loaded in the stack section by installing a fan at a position where wind force can be contributed to the origami paper to be discharged Make it possible.
In addition, the present invention adjusts the discharge distance in the transport direction for origami paper that is falling by using a fan, so that origami paper can be stacked in multiple stages on the paper discharge tray and the stack amount of the paper tray can be improved. And

  The present invention also provides a falling attitude of the discharged folded origami paper by adjusting the timing of supporting the paper by a rotational movement by a rotary movable member (paddle) having a surface capable of supporting the paper. , And effectively prevents buckling of the leading edge of the paper, and also makes it possible to prevent out-of-order due to Z-folding buckling.

  In addition, the present invention is capable of sliding the rotationally movable member (paddle) in the paper transport direction and also in the vertical direction. It is possible to prevent bending and to prevent the stacked sheets of the Z-folded sheets that have been stacked from getting over.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the user takes out the paper stacked in the paper discharge tray, the rotatable movable member (paddle) can be retracted from the paper output tray, and the operability when the user takes out the stacked paper is improved. Let Further, the operation of the retracted paddle is stopped so that power saving can be achieved.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of a sheet folding apparatus that can be applied to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to application to the illustrated apparatus.

  FIG. 1 shows a sheet folding apparatus 100 according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus 200 connected to use the sheet folding apparatus 100 for post-processing feeding. Since various types of image forming apparatuses 200 are compatible, description thereof is omitted, but as shown in the figure, the sheet is discharged out of the apparatus main body 144 and is received by the sheet folding apparatus 100.

First, folding in the sheet folding apparatus 100 will be described.
With the configuration of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, each of the folding operations of bi-folding, Z-folding, outer tri-folding, inner tri-folding, simple four-folding, and kannon quadruple-folding is possible. An image-formed sheet P conveyed from the image forming apparatus X on the upstream side is conveyed from the sheet receiving port of FIG. 1 to the folding apparatus. However, when the sheet is not folded by the sheet folding apparatus 100 and is further transported to the downstream post-processing apparatus or discharged, the first switching claw 121 allows the sheet to be discharged directly from the sheet carry-out port and folded. When performing, the 1st switching nail | claw 121 guides a sheet | seat to each conveyance path inside a folding device, and performs each folding operation | movement. After the folding is completed, the additional folding roller unit 308 performs additional folding.

<Z-fold>
The first switching claw 121 guides the sheet to the first conveyance path 101. A guide member (not shown) appears and disappears in the nip portion between the first folding roller 111 and the second folding roller 112. The sheet passes through the nip portion between the first folding roller 111 and the second folding roller 112. The leading edge of the sheet hits the second stopper 142 that can be moved to the folding position arranged in the third conveyance path 103.

  The bent portion of the sheet enters the nip between the second folding roller 112 and the third folding roller 113 and performs the first folding, and then is conveyed to the fourth conveying path 104 by the second switching claw 122. The leading edge of the sheet hits the third stopper 143 that can move to the folding position arranged in the fourth conveyance path 104. The bent portion of the paper enters the nip between the fourth folding roller 114 and the fifth folding roller 115, and the second folding is performed to complete the Z folding.

  After the folding is completed, the paper passes through the sixth conveyance path 106, is guided to the seventh conveyance path 107 by the third switching claw 123, and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 131 that is a sheet storage unit. When transported to the post-processor, the third switching claw 123 transports the post-processor to the post-processor.

<Folded>
The first switching claw 121 guides the sheet to the first conveyance path 101. The leading edge of the sheet hits the first stopper 141 that can move to the folding position arranged in the second conveyance path 102. The bent portion of the paper enters the nip between the first folding roller 111 and the second folding roller 112 to perform the first folding, and the folding is completed.

  A guide member (not shown) appears and disappears, and the folded sheet after folding is not entered the third transport path 103 and passes through the nip between the second folding roller 112 and the third folding roller 113. The second switching claw 122 guides the fifth conveyance path 105. Then, it passes through the sixth transport path 106, is guided to the seventh transport path 107 by the third switching claw 123, and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 131. When transported to the post-processor, the third switching claw 123 transports the post-processor to the post-processor.

<3 outside, 3 inside, 4 simple>
The first switching claw 121 guides the sheet to the first conveyance path 101. The leading edge of the sheet hits the first stopper 141 that can move to the folding position arranged in the second conveyance path 102. The bent portion of the sheet enters the nip between the first folding roller 111 and the second folding roller 112 to perform the first folding, and is then conveyed to the third conveyance path 103.

  The leading edge of the sheet hits the second stopper 142 that can move to the folding position arranged in the third conveyance path 103, and the bent portion of the sheet enters the nip between the second folding roller 112 and the third folding roller 113 for the second time. Is folded, and the folding is completed.

  After the folding is completed, the second switching claw 122 guides the fifth conveyance path 105. The paper passes through the sixth conveyance path 106, is guided to the seventh conveyance path 107 by the third switching claw 123, and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 131. When transported to the post-processor, the third switching claw 123 transports the post-processor to the post-processor.

<Kannon quadrifold>
The first switching claw 121 guides the sheet to the first conveyance path 101. The leading edge of the sheet hits the first stopper 141 that can move to the folding position arranged in the second conveyance path 102. The bent portion of the sheet enters the nip between the first folding roller 111 and the second folding roller 112 to perform the first folding, and is then conveyed to the third conveyance path 103.

  The leading edge of the sheet hits the second stopper 142 that can move to the folding position arranged in the third conveyance path 103, and the bent portion of the sheet enters the nip between the second folding roller 112 and the third folding roller 113 for the second time. After being folded, the sheet is conveyed to the fourth conveyance path 104 by the second switching claw 122.

  The leading edge of the sheet hits the third stopper 143 that can move to the folding position arranged in the fourth conveyance path 104, and the bent portion of the sheet enters the nip between the fourth folding roller 114 and the fifth folding roller 115 for the third time. Is completed, and the Kannon quadruple is completed (see FIG. 2 for the third folding operation).

  When the leading edge of the paper hits the third stopper 143 that can move to the folding position arranged in the fourth conveyance path 104 and the bent portion of the paper enters the nip between the fourth folding roller 114 and the fifth folding roller 115, A four-fold guide member (not shown) is operated, and the end portion of the paper to be caught surely enters the nip between the fourth folding roller 114 and the fifth folding roller 115. After completion of folding, the paper passes through the sixth conveyance path 106, is guided to the seventh conveyance path 107 by the third switching claw 123, and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 131. When transported to the post-processor, the third switching claw 123 transports the post-processor to the post-processor.

<Example 1>
An operation flow of the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. 1 will be described.
A fan 148 and a wind force adjusting device 149 are installed on the side surface of the paper discharge tray 131 on the opposite side where the paper discharge rollers 145 are installed. The stack paper 147 stacked on the paper discharge tray 131 is shown in FIG. As described above, it is preferable to install the fan 148 at a position and an angle at which the wind force and airflow generated from the fan 148 do not change.

  A variable adjustment slit 150 is provided on the wind feed side (front) of the fan 148. The wind force adjusting device 149 can adjust the wind force F. The slit of the variable adjustment slit 150 is variable, and the wind direction (angle) can be adjusted by adjusting the angle of the slit.

  When the Z-fold paper 151 starts to be discharged from the paper discharge roller 145, the fan 148 is activated at the same time to hold the tip of the Z-fold paper 151. In addition, as an adjustment value of the wind force F and the wind direction angle α, the wind force F and the wind direction angle α are adjusted so that the relationship of Fsin α ≧ W is satisfied when the gravity center weight W of the discharged paper is obtained. It is suitable for holding the front end of the Z-folded paper 151.

  Paper type and folding type (Adjusting the wind angle α and wind force F by adjusting the distance L from the paper discharge roller to the center of gravity and the weight of the center of gravity (W). In addition, as the wind direction angle α is adjusted to a larger value, the value of the wind force F can be adjusted to a smaller value, which is preferable for power saving of the fan 148.

  In the folding type in which the buckling of the paper other than the Z-folded paper 151 does not occur, it is preferable to stop the fan 148 to save power, and the stack paper 147 is stacked on the paper discharge tray 131 at a certain level or more. Then, the leading end of the Z-fold paper 151 is held by the stack paper 147, and the necessity of the wind force F is eliminated. Therefore, it is preferable for the power saving to stop the fan 148.

  As a method of adjusting the wind force F in the horizontal direction of the fan 148, the paper is adjusted by adjusting Fcosα so that the Z-folded paper 151 discharged from the stacked stack paper 147 does not jump even at the discharge line speed V. Suitable for preventing out of order (see Fig. 5)

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, by adjusting the wind force F and the wind direction angle α for each order of the discharged Z-fold paper 151 so that the discharged Z-fold paper 152 can be stacked in multiple stages, Since the stacking position of the stacked sheets 147 can be changed, it is preferable that the stack amount of the stacked sheets 147 is increased.

<Example 2>
7 to 10 show a sheet folding apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration and operation flow of this apparatus will be described. The basic configuration of the entire apparatus is the same as that of FIG.

  In the paper discharge tray 131, a rotary movable member (referred to as a paddle in this application) 162 having a shaft portion and a wing-like portion extending in the axial direction and in all directions is installed. When the Z-fold paper 151 is discharged, the paddle surface of the paddle 162 supports the tip of the Z-fold paper 151. At this time, the rear end of the Z-fold paper 151 is held between the paper discharge rollers 145 (FIG. 7).

  When the Z-fold paper 151 is completely discharged from the paper discharge roller 145, the leading end of the Z-fold paper 151 is supported, so the Z-fold paper 151 falls freely from the rear end, and the Z-fold paper 151 is shown in FIG. It becomes a state like this. Next, when the paddle 162 rotates 45 °, the end of the Z-fold paper 151 is not supported, and the Z-fold paper 151 is stacked on the paper discharge tray 131 (FIG. 9).

  As a driving means of the paddle 162, it is preferable to transmit driving from the driving motor 160 via the timing belt 161. As a member of the paddle 162, a mold and a rubber member are suitable. Further, the paddle 162 can be shifted in the transport direction and the vertical direction. The distance from the discharge roller 145 to the center of gravity of the Z-folded paper 151 to be discharged is L, the center of gravity weight of the origami paper is W, When the bending amount of the Z-fold paper: δ is taken into consideration, the shift movement amount in the transport direction and the vertical direction is set at an optimal position (see FIG. 10) where the paddle surface of the paddle 162 can support the leading end of the Z-fold paper 151. Is preferred.

  Further, regarding the setting of the shift movement amount of the paddle 162 in the transport direction and the vertical direction, if the stack paper 147 loaded on the paper discharge tray 131 is set to a position where the Z-fold paper 151 does not get over, the stacking property is further improved. It is suitable for connection.

  Further, the paddle 162 can be retracted from the discharge tray 131 by a shift movement, and the paddle 162 is retracted from the discharge tray 131 and stopped in a folding type that does not cause buckling of paper other than the Z-fold paper 151. This is preferable because it saves power. Further, when the stack paper 147 is stacked on the paper discharge tray 131 to a certain level or more, the leading edge of the Z-fold paper 151 is held by the stack paper 147, so that the paddle 162 is retracted from the paper discharge tray 131 and stopped. Therefore, it is preferable because it saves power.

  If the paddle 162 is retracted from the discharge tray 131 after the discharge procedure of the Z-folded paper 151 is completed, the paddle 162 does not get in the way when the user takes out the stack paper 147 from the discharge tray 131. The operability is improved, which is preferable.

100: sheet folding apparatus 101: first transport path 102: second transport path 103: third transport path 104: fourth transport path 105: fifth transport path 106: sixth transport path 107: seventh transport path 111: first 1 folding roller 112: 2nd folding roller 113: 3rd folding roller 114: 4th folding roller 115: 5th folding roller 121: 1st switching claw 122: 2nd switching claw 123: 3rd switching claw 131: paper storage part (Output tray)
141: First stopper 142: Second stopper 143: Third stopper 144: Apparatus main body 145: Paper discharge roller 147: Stack paper 148: Fan 149: Wind power adjustment device 150: Variable adjustment slit 151, 152: Z-fold paper 160: Drive motor 161: Timing belt 162: Paddle (rotary movable member)
200: Image forming apparatus 308: Additional folding roller section P: Paper

JP 2006-240753 A JP 2001-026345 A JP 2007-084186 A

Claims (7)

A sheet folding apparatus for sandwiching a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus between a pair of folding rollers and folding the sheet,
In a sheet folding device that constitutes a stacking unit capable of discharging and stacking folded paper,
A fan that controls a falling posture of the folded paper when the folded paper is discharged to the stack unit after being folded and dropped by its own weight and external force ;
A wind power adjusting mechanism for adjusting the wind power of the fan;
By adjusting the wind force and wind direction angle of the fan for each order of the folded sheets falling to the stack section by the wind force adjusting mechanism, the overlapping position of the folded sheets is changed to change the stack. A sheet folding device, wherein the sheet folding device is stacked on a part .   2. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustment mechanism that adjusts a blowing direction of the fan. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fan is placed at a position where wind force can be applied to the folded sheet to be discharged next without being obstructed by the folded sheet stacked on the stack unit. A sheet folding apparatus characterized by being installed . In a sheet folding apparatus for sandwiching a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus between a pair of folding rollers and folding the sheet,
The rotary movable member having a surface capable of supporting the folded paper , adjusts the timing for supporting the front end of the folded paper by a rotational movement , and
When the rotary movable member supports the front end of the folded paper, a paper discharge roller for discharging the paper from the image forming apparatus supports the rear end of the folded paper. Thus , the sheet folding apparatus is configured to control a dropping posture of the folded sheet to be discharged . 5. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotationally movable member is slidable with respect to a direction in which the folded paper is conveyed and is also movable in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. Folding device. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 4 or 5 ,
The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the sheets stacked on the stack unit are taken out, the rotary movable unit can be retracted from the stack unit . An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet folding device according to claim 1 .